RUBY MAE HAS SOMETHING TO SAY

A satirical parable, buoyed up by delicious visual whimsy. Ruby Mae lives in tiny Nada, Texas, where her home is ``World Headquarters for Universal Peace and Understanding.'' Unfortunately, she's so tongue-tied that she can't even get a neighborly greeting right, much less realize her dream of delivering her message to the UN. Then young Billy Bob—using a colander and other kitchen paraphernalia—is able to engineer an extraordinary headpiece that frees his aunt's powers of speech. Wearing giant hats over Billy Bob's contraption, Ruby Mae is elected governor and is finally invited to the UN—where a passing hawk seizes her huge hat (ornamented with doves), leaving her literally speechless. Raiding the UN kitchen, Billy Bob quickly rigs an alternate that makes Ruby Mae a figure of fun, sending the delegates into giggles but also nicely setting up her punch line: ``...you have only to speak plainly, even though you may look foolish. This is a thousand times better than looking good and talking nonsense.'' Small's deftly limned illustrations, bursting with witty caricatures and details (including Ruby Mae's final Statue of Liberty pose), make it easy for readers to lighten up, too. Sensible message; good fun. (Picture book. 4-10)